It is the season of summer
antique fairs what with Olympia, The Masterpiece Fair and Master Paintings Week. Increasingly an
interest in early paintings is developing and as with all new interests there
is a research phase where learning is the main fascination. My current bedside
reading, sent to me by a dear Irish friend, is The Word Museum by Jeffrey
Kacirk. Such a pity that The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten
should have come from America!
Happenstance then that I should
discover within The Word Museum a word originally defined in the Slang
Dictionary by JC Hotten, published in 1887. The word is screever. A screever is an art impostor and quote “there are
impostors of this kind in higher walks of art”.
Transparency is the theme of our
age as the internet prevents those who would rule from doing so with veils of
secrecy. Whistle blowers are coming out of the woodwork everywhere and whilst
virtually all such individuals get crushed by their revelations the incremental
effect is that more and more veils fall away. The self serving activities of western
governments, politicians, businessmen, tax consultants, charity brokers, the
foreign aid industry, the police, the media and virtually any institution are
revealed on a daily basis. Notwithstanding the new world of transparency the
spin industry goes on relentlessly, oblivious to the new paradigm. Just one
small example out in the last few days; in 2015, election year, there will be
£11bn of additional cuts. Not unreasonable to believe less money would be
spent; wrong. In fact in this age of “cuts”, government spending during this
parliament will have risen in each year and debt will be some £500bn higher
than at the start. This canard is repeated in virtually all western economies
and the victims are not the perpetrators but the thrifty with savings and no
debt. Low interest rates are penalising the thrifty. Is this a conspiracy of
western voodoo economics as normally when money is printed (QE) it leads to
high inflation, high interest rates and weak currencies. High interest rates
would now finish off most of the weaker brethren in the Eurozone. Would a
whistle blower please step forward and explain what is going on….
Meanwhile, back to Masterpiece
and masterpieces. The former is the outstanding showcase of the best of the old
and new. If you need to spend a shed load of money the Chelsea embankment is
the summertime place to spend it. In addition to the finest array of antiques,
antiquities, fine art etc you might want to pick up a beautifully restored
1950’s Riva launch for a mere 375000 euro. A similar price would get you a
fully restored E-type. Want something new then a Maserati might be your thing. How
about a piano within a cast bronze dining table for £400000, you had to be
there to understand. Too lazy or confused to figure it out then a Concierge
Service might be your thing or maybe you could just sip a glass of Ruinart and
while away the time in the most opulent tent in the land.
The magnet for me is the display
of tavern clocks. This year the five top clock dealers were out in force with
splendid displays and three dealers have tavern clocks. It would be indiscreet
to mention specific prices but the range is c.£20-45k. The makers for the
record are Holland, Lord, Chappell, Penny and Vulliamy, all top notch and
looking magnificent. Also evident is the continuing rise of prices of the
Golden Age makers as the best pull away from the rest.
Yes, masterpieces and provenance.
A steep learning curve of discovery as to how attributions in the art world are
made. I hope not meet a screever in the meantime, fortunately transparency is
the theme of our age.
No comments:
Post a Comment